The invention relates to a wet razor having a handle, on the front end of which is disposed a razor head that carries a razor blade, whereby in the region between the razor head and the grasping portion of the handle, there is provided a turning mechanism via which the razor head, with its razor blade, is freely rotatable relative to the grasping portion of the handle about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the cutting edge of the razor blade.
A wet razor of this type is disclosed in GB-PS 610 997. It has a handle, on the front end of which is rotatably disposed a razor head that carries the razor blade. For this purpose, rotatably mounted within the handle is a shaft on the front end of which is securely disposed the razor head with the razor blade. In order, when necessary during shaving, to be able to preclude the rotational movement of the razor head the handle comprises three sector-like grasping portions that by appropriately tightly grasping the handle can be moved inwardly in such a way that the shaft can no longer turn within the handle.
The primary drawback of the known wet razor with the freely rotatable razor head is that the forces of resistance that occur while shaving lead to a very rapid deflection or travel and hence shifting of the razor head. This does not result in an optimum shave. Furthermore, after the razor head is raised from the surface of the face, it remains in the respective rotated position, so that before a subsequent shaving process can be undertaken, the razor head must first return to its starting position. This takes place when the razor head pivots back as it is pressed upon the surface of the face, which adversely affects the shaving comfort. Alternatively, the user can rotate the handle into the new position, which is similarly bothersome. Finally, the known wet razor with the continuously rotating razor head has the drawback that while shaving, especially in longer passes over the chin, the razor head with the razor blade is turned in such a way that an angle to the direction of movement is established that is dangerous in that a movement component in the direction of the cutting edge of the razor blade results. This movement component can lead to injuries due to cuts if the angle exceeds a critical value.
With this as a starting point, it is an object of the present invention to further develop the known wet razor in such a way that the turning mechanism is improved to avoid the drawbacks of the known razor.